Improvement in spring elfting-apfasattts



D. P. BUTLER, OF BSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 92,793, dated July 20, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPRING- :LETTING-APPARATUS.

" The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and. making part ofthe same.

1' o all whom-'lt may concern Be it known that I, D. P. BUTLER, ofBoston, in the county of Suiiblk, and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improved Spring Lifting-Apparatus; and I do hereby declarethat the following, taken in connection with the drawings whichaccompany and form g part of this specification, is a description of myinvention suliicient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

In the construction of hygienic apparatus, to be used for thedevelopment of muscular power, and where the force is exerted to lift,it is customary to provide for gradual development of' thelifting-power, by means of series of weights, as is fully shown in theUnited States Letters Patent, N os. 48,050, 85,596, aud 87,- 465,granted to me.

In one kind of weight-lifting apparatus employed by me, I so constructand arrange the various parts, that the weights may be raised by liftingupon two rods rising from opposite ends of the weight-supporting device,or by lifting upon one centre-rod, rising from the centreofsuchweight-supporting device, a lifter-bar being passed through an eyeat the top of this centrerod, said bar being thrust between the legs,and being grasped at its opposite ends by the hands ofthe lifter, onebefore his body and one behind. This I call a side and centrelifting-apparatus.

My present improvements have particular reference to such side and kcentre-lifting, substituting, however, for weights, a system or seriesof springs, against the stress of whicl the muscular power is exertedprecisely in the same manner as in lifting weights.

Strictly speaking, the force thus exerted against the springs is notlifting as it is the stress of the springs thatis overcome, and not theforce of gravity, but as the motions ofthe body are the same as inliiting, Land the apparatus is to appearance not unlike theweightlifting apparatus, I term the apparatus a springlifting-apparatus, and shall'describe it as such.

My invention consists primarily in combining, with a platform or stand,a spring-plate, held in normal position by a series of springs, andhaving at its opposite ends, vertical rods. for side-lifting, or at itscentre a vertical rod for centre-lifting, or both the centre and theside lifting-rods, the springs being compressed by muscular exertion.

The invention also embraces various details of construction andarrangement, which will be fully set forth in the following descriptionof the drawing, in which drawing- A shows a vertical longitudinal andcentral section ofthe apparatus.

B, a verticaland central cross-section thereof.

C, an isometrical perspective, the platform beingre-l moved. l

va denotes a bed, upon which rests a series of strong springs, b, whichsupport upon their tops a platform, c, for the lifter to stand upon, thesprings forming a yielding cushion for the platform, but the pressureexerted by them may he such that they will not be materially depressed.by the weight of the person or the -force he exerts in lifting.

Screw-spindles, rl, extend through the springs, and through theplatform, having nuts, e, upon their outer ends, the screws and nutspreventing the platform from rising, and permitting it to fall bycompression of the springs upon which it rests.

Upon thel bed a rests a long plate or bar, f, and upon this I stand aseries of springs, g h, as seen at C, two or more of these springs, llh, being upon opposite sides of the plate, and the others, g, beingdistributed along the centre of the plate, in the direction of itslength.

The centre lifting-rod 'i may pass through one of these springs, andtheside lifting-rods la, through two others of them, while through cach ofthe others passes a spindle, l, fixed to the bed.

The foot of the centrc-rod z' is fixed to the bed, but the two siderods, l.: k, pass, at their lower ends, through slots m, the foot ofeach rod beingprovided with two nuts, one above and one below the slot,which permit the rods to move toward or from the centre-rod, but retainthe connection of'the rods to the plate.

The top o f each spring, g h., or a cap, or washer, resting thereon,presses directly against the bottom of the platform, as seen at A and B.

When the apparatus is to be used, the person stands upon the platform c,and grasp's'the two handles'n n, ofthe side rods, if hev wishes toside-lift, or passes the bar o between his legs, and 'grasps itsopposite ends with his two hands, if he wishes to centrelift,firstbringing the handles to such position that he slightly bends his legs atthe knees to establish his grasp.

' He then straightens his body to its full height, in doing which hedraws up the spng-plate j, by compressing thel springs g h against theplatform above them, or between the plate fand the platform.

The intensity ofthe springs lb may be `such-that the platform c will notmove materially in distance under the strain exerted in lifting upon theside or centrerods.

In lifting upon the side rods, they are slid to or from the centre-rod,in accordance with the size of the lifter or his breadth of shoulders,the rods sliding through slots p, cnt through the platform.

The position of the lifter-bar, or of the handles 7nl 11, above theplatform, is adjusted in accordance 'with the height or length of limbsof the lifter, the shank of each handle, n, or of the lifter-bar, beingadjusted for this purpose, by means of a screw, r, working in anut-thread, cut in the lifter-rod, as in my Weight-lifting apparatus.

end of each spring may be cushioned against a rubber washer, or againstrubber tubing, pressed into a recess bored in the adjacent surface ofthe lied, platform, or spring-plate.

. In the use of this apparatus, it will be obvious that witha series ofgauged springs upon the plate f, or upon both the plate e and theplatform b, a certain fixed force will be exerted in lifting the'plate acertain distance, or the distance required to straighten the body, and aforce in proportion thereto, up to the point where the limbs and bodybecome erect, and this force, so exerted, may be read by a suitableindex, the same as is the stress exerted by the weight in weighing withspring-balances or scales.

Now by taking away springs, or by adding more springs, or by usinginterchangeable springs, of less or lgreater intensity, the powerrequired in lifting may be graduated the same as in Weight-lifting.

`To increase the number of springs, or to remove or i the expended forceexpands instead of compresses or contracts tbc springs, but I prefer thearrangement shown. i

I claim a spring lifting-apparatus, in which the muscular force isexerted against a s'eries of springs, substantially asidescm'bed.

Also, in combination with the series of lifter-springs g h, t-be'sideand centre lifter-rods, substantially as described.

Also, in combination with the lifter-rods, lifter-plate, and springs hi, the platform c, supported upon springs, substantially as described.

D. I. BUTLER.

Witnesses J. B. CROSBY,

FRANCIS GoULD.

